Review by Val Tapia
Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Venue: AZ State Fair (https://azstatefair.com/ )
Date: Saturday October 25th, 2025
There was one good thing about The Cult going onstage 15 minutes late on Saturday October 25th as the final act of the Arizona State Fair concert series for 2025. It was the flood of memories going through my head of the many acts I’ve seen at the Coliseum. I couldn’t believe how much time had flown since then!
At 7:15 p.m. The Cult (consisting of lead vocalist Ian Astbury, guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Charlie Jones and drummer John Tempesta) took the stage and opened its paltry 75-minute set with “Rise”. It was one of two of their most “recent” songs played from 2001’s Beyond Good and Evil.
NOTE from Editor: It is not uncommon for bands at the AZ State Fair to only perform for about 75 minutes. I saw Mastodon the week before and their set was only 78 minutes.
This show was supposed to have Astbury and Duffy’s pre-Cult band called Death Cult on the bill. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Only one song was played by that band called Horse Nation.
Generally, The Cult is a solid live act. But at this show, it just seemed like something was “off”, if you will. At times, I got the impression they just wanted to get the gig over with. songs like “Rain” and “Resurrection Joe” went over well with the mostly 50-something audience.
But when they got to “Edie (Ciao Baby)” it sounded like Astbury’s voice was straining a little. Mind you, that was only the fifth song in the set. Same thing happened later with a lackluster version of “Fire Woman”.
I also noticed that Astbury seemed a little irritated at the amount of people on the sides sitting down through most of the show. I did enjoy a song called “War (The Process)”. It was classic Cult with a (then) contemporary spin for the early ’00s. It’s too bad it didn’t get more airplay at rock radio, if it got any at all.
Not surprisingly, they saved the most well-known songs for last. But by then, the band was ready to go home. Astbury even mentioned they had a “14-hour drive” to San Francisco. Perhaps they were just ready for the tour to end. It happens.
Speaking candidly though, it wasn’t just The Cult that had an “off night” in my opinion. It was the Arizona State Fair in general. Fairly or unfairly, post COVID, this longtime Valley favorite has become a shell of its former self. Simple as that.
Frankly, it doesn’t help that they’ve gone overboard with the plethora of tribute bands that they’ve been booking for the last three years. I’m sorry, you can go anywhere to see a tribute band on any given weekend throughout the greater Phoenix area. They need to seriously rethink things for future state fairs.
The final verdict? I’ll give this show three out of five stars. Good but far from great— better luck next time gentlemen.
The Cult
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
The Cult set list:
Rise
The Witch
Rain
Resurrection Joe
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Hollow Man
Lucifer
Horse Nation (Death Cult song)
Spiritwalker
War (The Process)
Wild Flower
Lil’ Devil
Fire Woman
Love Removal Machine
Encore:
She Sells Sanctuary
